In a Rush to Check Out, the Kid’s Smartwatch Was Left Behind!
A few days ago (Feb 23), right after the Chinese New Year holiday, my WeChat suddenly pinged at around 9:00 AM. A frantic customer had just added me.
The family had been vacationing in Hong Kong. In their rush to check out and return to Shenzhen that morning, they planned to take the high-speed rail directly back to Guilin, Guangxi in the afternoon. But once they arrived in Shenzhen, they realized something terrible: they had left their child’s smartwatch in the hotel room in Hong Kong!
For parents traveling with kids, this kind of unexpected situation is incredibly stressful. Heading back to Hong Kong wasn’t an option—they might not have valid visa endorsements left, and more importantly, there simply wasn’t enough time before their afternoon train. Desperate, the customer found our Shenzhen-Hong Kong Errand Service online, hoping we could retrieve the watch from Hong Kong and mail it to Guilin from Shenzhen.
A Remote Hotel and a Post-Holiday Labor Shortage
The location the customer sent was Hotel Ease · Tsuen Wan. If you are familiar with Hong Kong, you know that while this hotel offers good value, its location is a bit out of the way. It’s not right next to an MTR station or major bus routes. Getting there to pick something up is a bit of a hike and definitely tests our runner’s stamina!
The biggest challenge at that moment was the timing. It was just after the Spring Festival, and many delivery workers hadn’t returned to work in Shenzhen yet, making manpower very tight. The customer was anxious and asked if we could bring it back to Shenzhen before noon for a face-to-face handover at Futian Checkpoint or Shenzhen North Railway Station.
Given the time required to cross the border, travel to Tsuen Wan, handle the hotel’s authorization process, and travel back, noon was simply impossible. Ultimately, we agreed on the most reliable plan: We would pick up the item from the Hong Kong hotel, bring it across the border to Shenzhen, and immediately ship it to Guilin, Guangxi via SF Express.
As for the price, the customer mentioned the watch was only worth a few hundred RMB and asked for a discount. Honestly, labor costs during the Spring Festival period are quite high. However, putting ourselves in the customer’s shoes and wanting to help resolve their urgent issue, we offered a very reasonable, friendly price.
A Cross-City Relay: From Authorization Letter to Shipping
Once the details were nailed down, the rest of the process went smoothly. You can’t just walk up to a hotel front desk in Hong Kong and ask for someone else’s belongings; the hotel strictly verifies identities.
- Authorization Letter: I sent our runner’s full name and ID number to the customer, who quickly hand-wrote an authorization letter, took a photo, and sent it to us.
- Direct Contact: After the customer paid the errand fee via WeChat, I immediately shared the WeChat contact of our runner (who was already in Hong Kong that day) so they could communicate directly about the progress.
- Successful Pickup: Around 1:00 PM, after navigating the tricky route, our runner arrived at Hotel Ease Tsuen Wan and successfully retrieved the forgotten smartwatch using the authorization letter.
- Shipped from Shenzhen: By 3:30 PM, our runner had crossed the border back into Shenzhen and immediately dropped the package off at SF Express (shipping fee was about 12 RMB, paid on delivery) to be sent to Guilin.
From receiving the SOS at 9:00 AM to successfully shipping the item out of Shenzhen at 3:30 PM, the entire process took just a few hours. The customer sent a flurry of “thank yous” over WeChat. Being able to help a customer recover their lost property without delaying their travel plans gave us a great sense of accomplishment.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you’ve left an item in Hong Kong and urgently need it back, don’t panic. Check out our Lost Item Pickup Service. Whether it’s important documents, electronics, or daily necessities, as long as you have the proper authorization, we can run the errand for you and deliver it safely back into your hands!
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